The invention relates to a system for accessing and processing information contained in a smart card. The system comprises a local processor which includes a local storage for storing applications and data and further includes means for accessing information contained in the smart card and in the local storage. The invention also relates to a method for accessing and processing information contained in a smart card and to a program product stored on a data carrier and controlling method steps for accessing and processing information contained in a smart card.
The use of Internet browsers is a well established standard presentation technology. It is desirable to exploit this technology for other server based applications as well. A user interface supporting the HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) is very flexible and relatively easy to maintain. Although the use of browsers for Internet access is now a standard procedure there are few programs making use of this technology on a local basis. Internet proxy servers are usually set up at the concentration points of networks to speed up HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) access to the Internet and are usually not located on the computer of the user (A. Lutonen, xe2x80x9cWeb Proxy Serversxe2x80x9d, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, USA, 1997, ISBN: 0136806120).
Smart cards are widely used as personal data carriers, and the integration of smart cards into Internet applications is desired. However, access to data stored in smart cards is currently handled by special applications which are not integrated or related to the browser technology and which contain the suitable interface to the functions and information as used by the type of smart cards supported by such applications. Standard Internet applications cannot access smart card information on the local client system on which such applications are executed. They must rely on host or server recourses from which they are loaded.
It is an object of the invention to provide a system which permits an easy integration of smart card based resources on client computers into Internet based applications. It is also an object of the invention to handle the smart card access including security functions by a proxy server. It is a further object of the invention to enable a programmer to create user interfaces for applications using smart card data.
According to the invention, as defined in the claims, an Internet proxy server provides integrated smart card access capabilities for data retrieval and upload operations which are subject to a user access check, and providing further plug in support for new applications and application input output support. The proxy server may be readily adapted to any smart card data format.
The solution according to the invention enables seamless and easy integration of smart card based resources and related security function implemented on a client workstation into an Internet based hosting application. The smart card access and security function are handled transparently by the proxy. This solution makes it possible to write applications that use smart card resources in the same way as if they were accessed through and residing in the Internet.
The proxy server presents itself as an application which is loaded on the local computer of a user. One of the proxy servers main functions is to intercept all HTTP data transfers and forward them to the host it was intended for, and basically to do all the work a HTTP proxy server is intended to do. If the user selects a universal resource locator (URL) which contains data files that are supposed to include data from his smart card, the proxy server inserts this data in the reply. This has the advantage that the provider on the Internet does not have to include any security relevant data in the HTML documents, since the critical data are only inserted when the document arrives at the local computer of the user. This operation does not limit or restrict the use of encryption protocols for the transfer of such critical data.
The proxy server is equipped with a local HTTP server so that any documentation or administration can also be presented in an Internet browser installed on the local computer, and in addition a remote access to smart card data can be performed through the network. The proxy server may also be used to encrypt HTTP requests and resend them to another proxy server which, for example, performs bank access and debit functions in a shop.